Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookies are tough to crumble in the makeover game. That’s why we weren’t sure we could help Connie C. From Castle Rock, Colorado, she writes, “I have a recipe for peanut butter cookies that is my husband’s favorite. Are you able to lighten it up for me?”

After just one bite, it was clear why the cookies are a hit with her hubby… they’re loaded with chocolate chips, peanuts, coconut and raisins. In fact the only bad things about the cookies are the calories and fat they contain.

We wanted to help, but cookie recipes are hard to revamp and often result in textures or flavors dissimilar from the original due to the high amounts of butter and sugar usually called for.

Our Test Kitchen staff was eager to tackle the challenge, though. They decreased the butter called for and replaced some of it with a reduced-fat variety. Light peanut butter was also used, but the team reached for a chunky version. This kept the cookies’ peanut crunch and meant that the peanuts originally called for could be eliminated altogether.

A sugar blend for baking replaced the granular sugar and kept the cookies golden brown. The coconut was reduced, and the chocolate chips were replaced with miniature chips, which offered chocolate flavor in every bite.